The invention relates to a method for spreading a material flow onto a field, the material flow emerging from a chopping mechanism of a chopping and spreading device, in particular a combine mounted straw chopper on a combine harvester, wherein the material flow is conveyed to at least guide element which is situated transversely to the longitudinal axis of the chopping mechanism, the guide element accelerating the material flow and conveying it to at least one downstream spreading unit. The invention furthermore relates to a chopping and spreading device, in particular a combine mounted straw chopper for combine harvesters, comprising at least one chopping mechanism, to which at least one spreading unit is assigned to spread a material flow emerging from the chopping mechanism, wherein the material flow is conveyed to the at least one spreading unit by at least one guide element which is situated transversely to the longitudinal axis of the chopping mechanism.
Document DE 10 2006 042 553 A1 makes known a method for spreading a material flow onto a field, and a chopping and spreading device of the initially named type. The chopping and spreading device includes a chopping mechanism, downstream of which two guide elements are situated which extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the chopping mechanism. The guide elements further convey a material flow emerging from the chopping mechanism to two spreading units which are aligned in the direction of conveyance, are disposed on the particular guide element, and likewise extend transversely to the longitudinal axis of the chopping mechanism. The two spreading units distribute the material flow across a partial spreading width on the field. The two guide elements and the spreading units situated downstream thereof are disposed such that they lie in a plane and are interconnected by guide rails, and therefore the material flow is conveyed by the guide elements toward the spreading units in a plane of conveyance.
The disadvantage of this embodiment according to the prior art is that the material flow that has been accelerated by the guide elements impacts the rotating elements of the particular spreading unit perpendicularly, thereby slowing down the material flow. The reduced speed of the flow of the material must be compensated for accordingly by the spreading unit, which manifests as an additional acceleration of the material flow which, in turn, results in increased energy usage.